Manfred Mann

50 years ago today, Manfred Mann found themselves atop the Billboard Hot 100 for the only time in their career, but if you’re only going to hit the top spot once, then it might as well be with a song as instantly memorable as “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.”

Written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, a duo well known for their work in and around the Brill Building, “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” was originally recorded by an American group called the Exciters, under the title “Do-Wah-Diddy,” but while they didn’t find the same degree of success with the song as Manfred Mann did, they did make it onto the Hot 100 with their version, if only to the #78 spot. Still, it was high enough to bring the song a certain amount of attention, ultimately resulting in Manfred Mann – who’d broken into the UK top five with “5-4-3-2-1” but were still struggling to find consistent success with their own material – taking a shot at the song themselves.

Today’s the birthday of multi-instrumentalist Mike Vickers, a musician who gave the gift of guitar, alto saxophone, and flute to the Manfred Mann sound during the band’s early years.

Born in 1940 in Southampton, Hampshire in England, Vickers came into the band in 1962, when it was still called Manfred Mann & the Manfreds (the name change reportedly came at the behest of producer John Burgess, doubtlessly because it was one Manfred too many), and stuck around until 1965. Although Vickers left before the band recorded their soon-to-be second #1 UK single, “Pretty Flamingo,” he was there for the first chart-topper – the unforgettable “Do Wah Diddy Diddy,” which also topped the charts in the US – as well as several UK top-10 hits, including “5-4-3-2-1,” “Sha-La-La,” “Come Tomorrow,” and, somewhat ironically, “If You Gotta Go, Go Now.”

Vickers’ departure from the ranks of Manfred Mann was a decision predominantly made because of his ambitions to work on the orchestral side of music, and it paid off handsomely: the next time you watch the Beatles’ famous 1967 TV performance of “All You Need is Love,” take a gander at who’s conducting the orchestra. (Here’s a hint: his name rhymes with “Bike Knickers.”) Vickers has another Beatles connection as well, having arranged the strings for Cilla Black’s “Step Inside Love,” a Lennon & McCartney composition.